The Unexpected
by QueenChelsieAmbrose
Summary: The choosing ceremony forces you to make a choice, one that defines the rest of your life. That's what Beatrice Prior thought. But when Jeanine Matthews does everything in her power to get rid of her and "her kind", Tris and an unlikely man, are forced to go back to the place of her birth; The Abnegation compound. (There will be familiar scenes. War takes place a year later.)
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hi! So guess what, I've read the reviews I've gotten and, I decided to post my Tric fic. I decided to use scenes from the book and the movies. Side note: I changed the age when you pick your faction; Tris is 18. **

**Thanks for reading. Please, please, pleeeaaaaase leave a review. (IM WORKING ON MY OTHER STORIES, I promise.)**

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><p>Beatrice didn't know what she had gotten herself into, but it was too late to look back. She had made her choice, and she chose Dauntless. She had cut her palm and let her blood drip onto the black coals in the Dauntless bowl; watched as her Mother and Father's looks of distress changed to dispair and anger because both their children had made the choice to leave Abnegation, bore through the outrage of her former faction. She had been certain that Caleb was Abnegation through and through, but he wasn't; He chose Erudite. She should have seen it coming though, when she thought about it, she had pinpointed the signs. Should she have followed behind him? She had the aptitude for Erudite, after all.<p>

She glanced over at her new friend, Christina, laughing. They had just jumped from a moving train, and couldn't fight the laugh of relief and exhilaration. Her first action as a Dauntless Initiate. She looked down wiggling her fingers in the rubble covering the roof of the building they had just jumped onto. She looked up, noticing the group that had formed near the ledge. As she got up, she brushed rocks from her palms.

Christina walked ahead of her, ignoring that she was staring at the blond man standing on the ledge. "I'm Eric." He shifted his feet, scanning the faces of the new initiates. Beatrice wondered if he had been a dependant. He had two bolt looking piercings above his right eyebrow with gauges and plugs on his ears. He had an eccentric tattoo on his neck and tattoos on his forearms; she appreciated that his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. His hardened gaze landed on her, "I'm one of your leaders. Today, you chose to be fearless, you all chose Dauntless, and this is the way in." He looked behind him gesturing over the ledge with his arm, smirking at the other Dauntless people with him.

Christina looked up at Beatrice, her face expressing her confusion, "We just jumped off a train and we have to jump again?" Her words barely registered with Beatrice. Her new friend was studying their surroundings.

"Is there water at the bottom?" A tall, brown haired boy, asked. He looked as if he didn't believe what Eric was saying. And for some reason Beatrice knew Eric probably wasn't the type to joke; about anything.

Eric smirked, "I guess you'll find out." He shrugged, "Or not." His smirk stretched into a borderline maniacal smile, and Tris noticed that he was still looking in her direction before he turned away to leer at the other faces around him, "One of you has to go first, so who's it gonna be?"

No one said a thing. Tris wondered why, everyone should have expected something like this. They all looked concerned, like they were going to die before they would even make it into the compound. She closed her eyes and took a breath, "Me." Christina's eyes peeled open as she looked at her like she was crazy, but Beatrice ignored it.

She took her first step, holding her breath as Eric stared at her while he jumped down from the ledge and landed in front of her. He was staring at her, impressed that the girl in the grey, long sleeved dress and abnegation boots volunteered to jump first. He'd never say it, his ego would never allow it, but he was impressed with her. Not only did she volunteer, but she was standing at the top of the ledge, staring over the edge, not knowing what was at the bottom. She took off her grey jacket, ignoring some Candor teasing her. But she was Abnegation; he shouldn't expect much.

"Yeah Stiff, take it off." The Candor laughed with two people flanking his sides - a tall girl and a boy about her same height. "No put it back on." His lackeys laughed. Eric fought the urge to tell them to shut up, teasing a girl who volunteered to jump before anyone else, didn't help you look any braver.

They would soon learn he didn't tolerate foolishness. They were there to be soldiers, not little five years olds who found pleasure in teasing. He cleared his throat. "Quiet." He snapped, no longer being able to stomach their obnoxious giggles and jeering.

He returned his attention to the girl on the ledge. Loose strands of hair blew in the subtle wind, messing up her neat Abnegation bun. Her lips pursed; he smirked, she was fighting herself, fighting the urge to tell the candor boy to go screw himself. Despite her bravery, she was taking too long to jump, "Today, initiate." He droned, beside himself, incapable of standing there another moment, staring at the back of her head. She jumped.

He looked at over at a Dauntless man with a mohawk, telling him to tell him when it would be safe for another initiate to jump...not that he particularly cared. "Who's next?"

Tris's whelps were heard as she hit the net, the springs holding the net, creaking as she bounced up and down. Her hand shot to her forehead, relief washing over her. She laughed, holding her head because she couldn't believe she jumped off a building and into a gaping hole. Then again, she had jumped from a train. She wondered what Caleb, her mother, and her father would say; would they approve? Probably not, but it didn't matter because they weren't in her chosen faction; Faction before Blood. The stupid saying applied here, but it didn't matter because... it was a stupid saying. She scoffed, not believing the phrase for one second. It was ridiculous.

The net was pulled down, and she went tumbling toward the lowered edge, her eyes connecting with mysterious eyes. "What, you get pushed?"

She stared at him, offended for a moment because he was so quick to think she didn't belong. He didn't say it in those words, but by directly suggesting she didn't have the gall to jump first, he insulted her. She took a breath, the first it felt like, before answering, "No." He accepted the answer, his lips quirked for a moment.

"What's your name?" He set her on the floor, waiting for an answer to a seemingly easy question. When she hesitated to answer, he scoffed, "What? That a hard one? Fine, you can change it, but it better be a good one because you can't change it again."

"Tris." She chose to change it. She left Beatrice at the top of the building. They stared at each other, and she took in how handsome he was, and he nodded. She was still breathless, wondering what would happen next.

"First jumper, Tris!" He suddenly yelled, startling her, but not making her look away from him. The hoots and whoops of the other Dauntless distracted her, making her smile because she felt accepted, proud. She almost scolded herself for it, but then she reminded herself that being proud of yourself wasn't a bad thing, like her Abnegation roots made her believe; Pride in healthy doses was...good.

Everyone had jumped, and they soon all gathered together, waiting to see what would become their fate. Soon, Eric, joined them, another woman standing next to him.

The man who first greeted her after she jumped, spoke "Normally, I work in the control room, but I will be training you, my name is Four."

"Like the number?" Christina, Tris's Candor friends asked, sarcasm dripping from her tone. Tris looked at her, hoping the shorter girl knew what she was doing. Four smiled, bowing his head. Tris may have befriended her rather quickly, but she also disagreed with her quick wit. It would get them all in trouble.

"Yes, exactly like the number." He smirked, and Tris took the time to stare at how his handsomeness attributed to the scowl in his brow. She didn't linger, opting to look away.

Christina snorted, beside herself. "What? One, two and three were taken?" Tris looked around quietly, listening to the other initiates laugh and snicker. Bad idea, she thought, knowing that making fun of the man overseeing your training wouldn't end well for anyone. The Candor people had a way with sticking their feet into their mouths, the brutal honesty that was ingrained in them got them in trouble sometimes. Tris sensed it would be a problem here. She looked up, her eyes connecting with Eric's.

Maybe it was the piercings above his eyebrow or the gauges in his ears, but she was intrigued by him. He looked menacing. It wasn't the piercings that made him intimidating, it was the coldness of his crystal blue eyes. From the way he had spoke to them at the top of the building proved he had detached himself from pleasant emotions a while ago. However, he still looked young to be a leader, it was something that wasn't rare in the Dauntless Faction. He didn't look away either, a vague smirk pulling on his lips.

Tris was distracted when Four looked at all of them, a low chuckle leaving the back of his throat. He approached the girl who dare poke fun at him, looking at her like a predator about to strike his prey, "What's your name, Initiate?" The petite, olive skinned initiate, braced herself for whatever he would say. Nothing was funny anymore. Tris looked around, again, taking note of the way everyone seemed to fall in line. After all, it was the logical solution; complete compliance with the authority standing in front of them. Tris felt her chest heave, nervous for her fellow initiate.

"Christina." She answered meekly, not daring to glance into his eyes. She all but retreated into herself.

Four held his hands behind his back, eyes squinted, and trained on Christina, "Do you want to survive here?" She nodded, Tris attributed it to fear. "Then I suggest that you learn to keep your mouth...shut." He looked up, his glimpsing eyes falling on Tris first, before he scanned over the other initiates, "All of you." He turned on his heel. Tris had never seen someone so deliberate in their movement, she got caught up in watching him walk off, she hadn't noticed that everyone else clamored behind him until she was paces behind. Stumbling over her own feet, she followed them up the rocky, uneven stairs. She turned back once more, looking at Eric again. He straightened himself, his smirk resonating with her.

"This is where you will be staying. You have to be back here by 10pm sharp. There will be Dauntless supervisors doing a round every night, making sure you're all here before lights go out…" He hailed them into the room, pushing the double doors open and leading them down a cave- like hallway. He stopped suddenly when the cave split, "That way leads to where you will complete most of your training. We take initiation very seriously, so training is everything. Some rules: you have to be in the training room by 8 o'clock every day. Training is from 8 to 6 each day with a break for lunch. After that, it's free to do whatever that you transfers do. There's break time between each stage." Four announced, his hands still behind his back. He continued on, leading them into where their beds were.

Tris was new to the do whatever you please part.

The room, with pale grey, stone walls, and pale tiles, reminded Tris of what she read about military school in her higher level classes. Also, the grey reminded her of home. She figured they were put there on purpose, not because they weren't supposed to be self-indulgent, but because they were low on the Dauntless totem pole.

The bathroom -if you could even call it that - was gross. Just toilets and toilet paper dispensers lining the walls; the walls were practically begging for a good scrubbing. A total of 8 tubs were gathered together in center and showers were against the wall.

"Get dressed." Four demanded, leaving them to it.

As Tris pulled on her new pants, she felt self conscious. Looking around as she wiggled into the new outfit, she noticed two boys and a girl laughing at her.

"Nice legs, Stiff."

Tris turned away, pulling her dress over her head and quickly using it to guard her stomach as she grabbed her tank top and jacket.

"Ignore him." Christina advised, plopping down on the bed next to hers, "And yes, Peters always been a jerk. Growing up, he used to pick fights with other kids and then cry and make up stories about how he was the victim." She sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before she scowled at Peter. "And of course everyone believed him because he was Candor and we can't lie." She rolled her eyes. "Molly and Drew were different. Just recently have they been picking on people. You're an easy target I guess."

Easy target. Tris sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

There was a stone pit of fire at the entrance of the cafeteria, everyone had to throw their clothes in there. Tris lingered for a moment letting people pass her by as she mentally prepared to throw away her clothes, her last reminder of where she came from. She took a deep breath, her gaze swept over the various clothes, the Candor white and black, the Erudite blue, and finally, Abnegation grey. She looked up, seeing Christina hanging behind, leant up against a wall.

"Hi." Christina greeted her, and they headed into the cafeteria, maneuvering around the multitude of Dauntless that were packed into the area. Most of the tables were full, except two spots at a table with two other initiates and Four, "Should we sit there?"

Tris shrugged, and they sat down. The table was covered with platters of food, and bottles of water. She wasn't really hungry, but she grabbed a burger bun and jabbed a fork into a piece of meat. She examined the meat, wondering why anyone found the food apealing.

"Never seen a hamburger before?" Christina asked, smirking at her.

Tris's mouth fell open and for a moment, she had no clue what to say…"I have, but I've never eaten one."

"Abnegation eat plain food. Extravagance is apparently self-indulgent and unnecessary." A brown hair boy explained, "I'm Will, from Erudite."

"Of course." Christina sarcastically replied.

A dark skinned man stood above them on a balcony over looking the multitude of people eating together. Tris looked up at him, he was obviously a leader, but he looked older than Eric. As he spoke, Tris looked around, noticing that everyone but her was looking at him.

_We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another_

Tris smiled_._

_Make us proud._

He turned away, leaving them to celebrate his speech. Soon, all the initiates were lifted up above the heads of people welcoming them to the faction. Tris laughed, grabbing a hand that belonged to Will. As they surfed the crowd, the smile in her face was genuine. And she forgot about how stressful initiation would be.

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><p>Tris's eyes shot open, a loud banging bringing her back to reality. She had a dreamless sleep, but it was peaceful, a large contrast from what she was feeling. She sat up, seeing Four standing in the stairs, a metal rod in his hand. "I want everyone in the pit...two minutes." He ascended the stairs, disappearing through the doorway.<p>

The Pit was an interesting place, and rather beautiful. The white stone walls, almost sparkled under the harsh white lights illuminating the large center of life in the faction. There were different caves carved into the walls, for food, clothes and other things. As Tris and the other initiates gathered into the room, Peter gave her the once over, his predatory gaze felt like it was burning her skin; she zipped her jacket all the way up to her neck. Four and Eric seized their conversation, and Four walked toward them. He had his hands behind his back, and Tris watched him closely. Growing up, she learned to pay attention to the person talking to you, out of respect.

"There are two stages of training…" Four spoke, pacing back and forth, "The first is physical, we'll push your bodies to the breaking point to see how much you can take. You will master the art of combat." Tris didn't know if she could do that, she'd never hit anyone, sure she'd thought about it. But she had never hit anyone. Maybe that was the worse part, the thought itself. "The second is mental." He eyed certain people, making sure not to linger in any place for too long, "You will face your worst fears. And conquer them, unless they get to you first." He pointed to the dauntless born initiates, and Tris quickly followed the direction his finger pointed in. They all looked tougher, like they hadn't a care in the world. "You and the Dauntless-born will be trained separately, but ranked together. Ranks will determine what jobs you move into. Like guarding the fence, control room supervisor or technician, initiate training, keeping the factionless from killing each other, or finally, a place in Leadership."

"Forgetting something, Four?" Eric interrupted, eyeing him irritably. "Your ranks will also determine who's cut." Eric's voice rose up, breaking the calm. He didn't bother to move from his place on a big, flat stone. Tris took a sharp breath, her shoulders rising and falling. For a moment, Eric and Tris stared at each other before Christina spoke.

"Scuse me? Cut?" She looked like she could explode with a bunch of other questions, but Tris assumed she had learned from her last encounter with Four.

Eric got up and walked closer to them, the power he held in the faction showed in each step he took. Tris could tell, all the initiates could tell, that he took great pride in this position as leader. "At the end of each level of training, the lowest ranking initiates will be leaving us." His mouth twitched, a mix of a smirk and nonchalance in his demeanor.

Al, another Candor transfer spoke up, "To- to do what?" He looked genuinely confused and slightly mortified.

Eric sighed, folding his hands in front of him, "There's no going back to your families; so you'd be forced to live factionless."

"Why didn't we know that?" Will asked.

"It's a new rule." Eric quickly quipped.

"A new rule? Someone should have told us." Christina all but hollered. Tris could tell she had been biting her tongue as much as she could.

"Why?" Eric turned in their direction, "Would you have chosen differently?" He questioned. "Out of fear? Because if that's the case then you should get out now, you don't belong here. If you're really one of us, it shouldn't matter that you might fail." His expression hardened, a seriousness taking over. His voice boomed throughout the Pit, so they could all hear, "Now, you chose us; we get to choose you."

Tris took a deep breath, mentally preparing. She understood that they couldn't all get in, it made sense. Overpopulation and such. Besides, not everyone who had the aptitude for Dauntless, belonged or could handle being Dauntless. Sure she would have liked to know about the new rule before hand, but she honestly couldn't say she would have changed her mind. Although she had other options.

Eric dismissed them flippantly, "Follow Four." He didn't give them a reason as to why he wouldn't be joining them yet.

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><p>Eric took purposeful steps toward Four as he looked at the initiates sparring. "Are they ready for some actual fighting?"<p>

"Not even close." Four laughed, crossing his arms. "They can barely keep up during runs."

"Huh." Eric looked around, "First Jumper, in the ring." All sparring stopped, and Tris looked up to see Eric looking in her direction before looking away, "Last Jumper… time to fight."

Tris vs Molly.

Tris could hear Peter and his group of friends snickering at her, and she wondered if they thought she would die.

"How long do we fight for?" Molly asked, ascending the stairs and onto the mat before Tris could.

"Until one of you can't continue…" Eric answered, taking his spot at the edge of the ring where he could see the whole mat; Four stood next to him.

"Or until one of you concedes."

"According to the new rules, one of you must be incapacitated." Eric ignored Four, and from the look on his face, Tris was surprised he didn't punch him out right there, or that they were even breathing the same air for that long. "You'll be scored on this, so fight hard." She saw Eric set his jaw as Four whispered something to him, no one but Eric could hear.

_"You're lucky those weren't the rules when we were younger." Four whispered. Eric could punch him, give himself the satisfaction of breaking Four's jaw._

_"The rules have changed, deal with it." Eric whispered harshly. Tris was staring at him, and even in the harsh light, she looked beautiful. Now he was irritated._

Tris took a mental note; the two men couldn't stand each other. Eric leaned forward, resting his hands on the mat, looking rather irritated, he let out an exasperated breath, "Go!"

Tris took several steps back as Molly approached her, taking the time to watch her opponent. Molly swung hard, but Tris managed to get out the way, hitting Molly in the gut.

"Nice." Eric casually said, Four, however said nothing. After sending a punch and missing, Molly punched her in the face. Fuelled, Tris tackled Molly, sending them both to the ground. However, her punches seemed to do nothing, and Molly nailed her in the face.

Tris sighed, holding a cold ice pack to her face as she watched the other fights. Both Eric and Four looked bored, yet they watched the fights closely.

Soon, the last fight was over and Four and Eric made their way over to an electronic board.

"Alright, everyone gather around and listen up." Tris looked up to see Eric looking in her direction, she had been the only one who hadn't moved, She got up and jogged over to the rest of the group. "Do you know what this board is?" Eric asked, it was a rhetorical question, obviously, "It's your life. You get graded everyday. If you're still below the red line at the end of this stage, you're out."

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><p>Tris's name was number 32… 12 places below where it needed to be.<p>

"I am never going to make it." Tris sighed, leaning back against the metal head of her bed. Christina shook her head, smiling at her.

"Yes you are."

Tris shook her head, not believing her friend, "I'm the weakest one here."

"Then you'll be most improved." Christina smiled, setting her boots under her bed.

"You're Candor, I thought you didn't lie?"

"I was Candor," Christina sat on her bed, crossing her legs, "And I'm not lying."

"I think if I got cut, my parents would take me back." Al interjected. Tris and Christina both could tell he was hoping more than anything else. Tris knew for a fact that even if she wanted to, from the look on her Father's face when she poured her blood onto the black coals, he would never take her back. Her mother however, had made her a promise to love her no matter what.

Will pulled off his combat boots, "It doesn't work like that." He sighed, "Even if they wanted to, their faction wouldn't allow it." He leaned forward, his elbows finding their way onto his knees. "You'd. be forced to be factionless."

"Even if I could go back," Tris looked down, her mouth curving into a frown, "I wouldn't belong there anymore; I don't think I ever did."

"Have you ever wondered if you made the wrong choice?" Al asked them, biting his bottom lip.

"No." Will shook his head, "I've always wanted to be dauntless."

"I do." Al replied solemnly. They looked at him sadly, trying not to continue the conversation. "I know you've heard me." Al smiled sadly, appreciating the fact that the didn't mention his quiet sobs.

"Yes, we have." Christina, bit her top lip, keeping her answer curt. "This is getting depressing. Lets go get tattoos."

"I'm not piercing my face, cutting my hair, or getting a tattoo." Tris was quick to shoot down the idea. But Christina was standing in front of her rather soon, pulling her to her feet and dragging her upstairs and into the hallways; Will and Al following them.

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><p>Tris saw Tori, the woman who administered her aptitude test. She didn't look happy. Tris walked toward her station, "You remember me? Right?" She looked around, noticing a bunch of people were entering the tattoo place. "I was wondering if you cou-<p>

"No." Tori cut her off, placing differing needles in their right places and starting to take her machine apart. "I just do tattoos."

"Okay," Tris walked away, scanning the pillars that showed off the intricate art work picking a tattoo, even though she said she'd never do it, but desperate times... She picked the one that reminded her of her family; Three birds. She walked back to Tori's station, "I'd like this one. Please."

Tori wiped her skin, cleaning the place on her collar.

"Can I just ask you-"

"You made a mistake choosing Dauntless." Tori answered, placing the black tattoo pad on her exposed skin, "They'll figure out what you are, and if you don't fit into a category they can't control you."

"I don't understand." Tris looked straight ahead, "I chose Dauntless, I'm going to be Dauntless. I am Dauntless."

"For your sake, I hope you make it." Tori answered before peeling the black pad from her skin.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own Divergent or the characters from the movies/books. **

**AN: A big ole thank you to my two reviewers and everyone who's followed/favorited. Here's chapter 3. I've added a lot. I hope you enjoy. ㈇7. **

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><p>Tris grabbed her boots and quickly ran from the dormitory. She quietly walked to the training room; punching bags hung from the ceiling, she placed her hands on her hips as she chode a bag to assault. Sticking her feet in her boots, she approached it. She took a deep breath and hammered away. It hurt, but she refused to quit. She examined her knuckles; gone from pristine to red and scabbed over in a matter of months.<p>

Four walked through the training facility, deciding that beating up a punching bag until his arms felt like jello couldn't beat a full nights sleep. As he walked, he heard the familiar noise of fists and elbows hitting a punching bag. At first, he thought it was Eric - the man had always tried to beat him at everything; so he would be surprised if it _wasn't_ him - but it was the First Jumper, Tris. He was shocked and impressed.

He watched her training closely from thereafter, taking time to talk to her after training sessions were over, despite the suspicious looks Eric gave him. Her shooting was better, her punches looked stronger, and she wasn't one of the last people in the group when they went running. She had improved. She went from 32 to 23.

But her name was still below the line.

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><p>Tris frustratedly hit the punching bag, ignoring the footsteps that approached her.<p>

Four stood beside her, rubbing his chin, taking in her weak stance, "You're weak; you don't have much muscle. I've said this." He moved behind her, "You're never gonna make it, not like that." He grabbed her waist, shifting her posture, "Keep tension here." His hand moved over to her stomach, his fingers grazing her skin. Despite how most girls would feel, his touch made her slightly uncomfortable "You're fast, so you could win if you attack first." He nodded at her, looking away as he heard his name being called.

"Okay." Tris nodded shaking away her uneasy feeling, taking all that he said into account, despite his wandering hands.

She walked away from the punching bag, and moved over to the mats. Christina was getting pummelled by Molly. Eric seemed to appear out of no where. He watched her, a feeling he couldn't describe filled him. He saw the interaction between his former fellow initiate and Tris. He knew Four liked her; from the way Four looked at her over the past couple weeks. For some reason, it made him angry.

"Wait, stop. I'm done." Christina held her hands up, quitting her fight with Molly. Tris knew that was a bad idea.

Eric stepped forward, "Everyone, lets take a break."

They were taking a field trip.

Tris watched as Eric put a hand on Christina's back, guiding her toward the chasm. Something didn't feel right.

"You feeling better?" He asked her, and she nodded, "Good." He lifted her up, and dropped her onto the bridge over the chasm. "Grab on, or don't." He let go, and Christina caught hold of the bridge. Tris held her breath as Christina grabbed onto the metal grates. "You have three options; Hold on and hang there, let go and die, or quit and you're out." Eric shrugged, looking at his watch. Tris couldn't tell if he was enjoying himself, or if he felt this was necessary. Tris rubbed her face, grabbing onto Edwards arm.

"C'mon Chris." Tris encouraged her friend, a tight feeling in her chest. Eric slowly eyed her, no malice whatsoever. She looked at him, challenging him, his face held no worry; He knew Christina could do it. Christina hung on the edge, her fingers slipping, her arms were feeling like they would separate from the rest of her body.

"Time." Eric called, looking over the chasm. Tris and Edward moved forward quickly, grabbing Christina. Eric took a deep breath, "Dauntless, never give up." He enunciated each word, reminding them that Dauntless weren't cowards.

Tris hated herself. She hated that she saw the lesson in the situation. She hated that Eric's cruelty had taught them a lesson.

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><p>Eric sat in a Max's office, twiddling his thumbs and examining his scabbed knuckles. Jeanine Matthews had called a surprise meeting, and his presence was mandatory. He really didn't have the patience at the moment. He ran a hand over the shaved sides of his hair, scratching his scalp. Normally, he enjoyed these meetings - he was almost always late - it gave him an outlet to show off his position as leader, and he was respected, but today, he was beyond bored. He just wanted to go back to his apartment and take a shower.<p>

He was listening to bits and pieces of the conversation. Lauren - a Dauntless-born Trainer - had just gone through who she thought might be Divergent- none of her accusations were founded. It was his turn.

"Peter Hayes." Jeanine threw his file out onto the glass table and tapped on her notepad, causing the display screen on the wall to show Peters family history back to his family origin, and his current standings. Peters family had always been Candor, until him.

"Not a chance." Eric quipped. "He's definitely Dauntless. An immature child at times, but Dauntless nonetheless." Eric rubbed his chin, staring up at the screen for a moment, before grabbing the file from the table. "From what Four tells me, he needs a lesson in respect. I've chalked that up to his Candor upbringing. He hasn't quite grasped that, here, Dauntless don't take too kindly to blantancy."

"You're sure?" Jeanine asked, watching him intently.

"Are you questioning me?" Eric leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, dropping the file back on the table. Even after giving his reason, she still wanted more.

Jeanine's eyes squinted, and he could hear Max clear his throat. Nodding her head thoughtfully, she lifted her left shoulder, "Even the most seasoned of my colleagues need to be questioned."

Eric ran a hand over his chin angrily, his nostrils flared. He had been in charge of hunting Divergents for almost 4 years, he knew what to look for in order to figure them out. _Sometimes I just have to look in the mirror._

"Beatrice Prior." Jeanine threw another file onto the table as she passed off Peter's file to her assistant. He wondered why, even though they had computers for all this shit, they still used files.

"Who?" Eric asked gruffly. He wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was peeved. He hated when people challenged him; Jeanine Matthews, the Head Representative of Erudite, didn't seem to give a shit. No one seemed to care that he could snap them in half. Everyone was lucky he had self-control. He had no idea who Beatrice was, but the name sounded familiar.

"Long blond hair, tall, blue eyes, almost lanky." Jeanine's assistant spoke.

Then it hit him, "Ah, Tris." he had a feeling about her. But he wasn't sure. He had multiple feelings about her actually.

"She's Divergent." Jeanine didn't hesitate. She knew it, she just didn't have proof. "She could show tendencies, excuse me."

"And you know this how?" Max asked, exchanging a look with Lauren -she was fighting her boredom - finally interjecting himself into the discussion. "And if she is, why haven't you done anything before?"

"Her test results came back as Abnegation." Jeanine scanned the file, "Tori, the woman who administered the test, sent her home because she got sick. As far as I know, that doesn't happen often. And the aptitude test is foolproof."

Eric chuckled, "Yet here we are, trying to find the Divergents that are messing up your precious system."

Jeanine calmly placed her entwined hands on the table, "Divergents mess with the System of Peace we created after the war. Those who don't fit into a category, are dangers to our society. Human nature will destroy us if we let it."

Eric rolled his eyes, he had heard the same spiel at least a thousand times since she had recruited the Dauntless leaders years ago; years before he had even left his old faction. He wondered why he let her manipulate him into the position he was in, then he remembered he needed to cover his own ass. His own mother and father had worked with Jeanine when he was a child, and neither were happy that he was now working with Jeanine, and he shouldve headed their advice. He leaned back, "You said you think she is, so how are you going to prove it?"

"That's where you come in." Max answered.

"Come again." Eric looked from Jeanine to Max, eyebrow raised.

"Max and I devised a plan. Tris is the only Transfer we suspect of being Divergent. Your job, as one of the people who is around her most of the time she's training, will be to get her to trust you. You must study her for the signs."

Eric shook his head, "No." He could do some horrible things, but he couldn't lie to the one person he actually could feel something for. "Just twist her arm." He knew who Tris's parents were; not importantly her father. He knew there was no way she was the only Divergent in the bunch; hunting her down furthered Jeanine's agenda against the Abnegation faction. His expression twitched, why did he care?

"Tris is a strong willed girl," Jeanine countered, and Eric saw truth in her words. "I've experienced it," Jeanine continued, Eric noticed her bite the inside of her cheek , "She's not going to give up, so you must get her to trust you. And I have sources that tell me you have already seemed to get her to at least notice you."

"But that doesn't mean she'd like me." Eric was trying his hardest to get this to be dropped. "Hell, I don't even like me sometimes." Which was true; he had to drink away his dislike for himself at times.

"You don't have a choice." Max retaliated "Well, you do, but we could always get someone else to do it. Or does she not like you too much?" Eric's eye twitched, "What? Four already beat you to it?" Max crossed his arms, "He's probably training her right now."

Eric wanted to punch the older man in the throat. He knew his fellow leader was trying to get a rise out of him, and it worked. "Fine." He'd agreed to do some dispicable things, so why did he feel so crumby now, of all times?

"Start as soon as possible." Jeanine clasped her hands together, "Moving on."

Eric spaced out as she talked about new fear landscape serums...maybe he should have paid attention.

* * *

><p>Eric was in a horrible mood the rest of the week. Friday couldn't have come sooner; the first day of a new month.<p>

In training, he watched as the initiates threw knives. He wasn't really paying much attention to anyone other than Tris. He was racking his mind trying to figure out how he would even get her to speak to him much less like him and trust him. Lusty looks and speaking were not indicators. She could hate that she looked at him the way she did; From the looks of things, Four had already garnered her attention and her time. Eric wasn't stupid -he was far from stupid. A triple digit IQ was required in Erudite- he knew Four had been talking to Tris when she was in the training room early. Four also didn't try to hide that he was staring at her.

Too bad. Eric thought.

The three months of training had done her well apparently; she was doing good, hitting her target every time she threw a knife.

He was just the guy that made her friend hang over the chasm.

Eric spun a knife in his hand, flipping and spinning it between his fingers.

Al, a quiet initiate, was failing miserably. Everytime he threw a knife, it hit the wall and clunked to the ground. Eric approached the taller boy, watching as the knife clinked to the cement floor. "Well, that was pathetic." From the corner of his eye, he could see Tris scowling at him.

Tris paused for a moment, closing her eyes, but she continued to throw knives at the target.

Al swallowed the lump in his throat, "It slipped."

Eric almost felt sorry for him… almost. But to pass initiation, you need to know how to throw a damn knife. "Well go get it."

"Now?" Al looked at him like he had sprouted two heads, a tail, and gills. "While they're throwing?" He almost sounded like he'd burst into tears.

"Yes," Eric answered, mocking his tone. "Are you afraid?"

"Of getting hit with an airborne blade? Yes."

Tris closed her eyes, knowing full well Al shouldn't have said that.

"Everyone stop." Eric bellowed and tightened his grip on the handle of the knife in his hand. "Four, your assistance." Four stepped forward, pretending to be unamused and slightly uncomfortable. Eric pointed toward the target, staring at Al, "Go stand in front of the target. You're going to stand there while he throws those knives, if I see you flinch, you're out. Go." He sneered. His bad mood had seeped into their training session, and he wasn't sorry. Eric stepped to the side, still holding a knife in his hands.

Four flipped a single knife, getting ready to throw it.

"Stop." Tris suddenly spoke out. Will, Edward, and Christina looked at her like she was crazy. And both Eric and Four looked at her, both silently telling her to be quiet.

She looked at Eric a long while, and he stared back at her, "_Don't you fucking dare." _He wanted to shake her sometimes.

Four really didn't think she needed to interfere here, and Eric didn't want to have to make his case with her any worse. Tris looked at Eric, "Anyone can stand in front of a target, it doesn't prove anything."

She dared.

Eric nodded, his expression softening for a moment. He silently admired that she wasn't afraid of him. But he was also irritated, irritated because for the life of him, he couldn't understand why she refused to keep her mouth shut. "Then you can easily replace him."

Tris stood in front of the target. Al bit his nails nervously, avoiding the skeptical gazes boring holes in his back.

"You flinch, he has to stand there." Four told her, using a knife to point. He himself was annoyed that she had said something. But he respected her for it. He threw the first knife, Tris didn't move.

Tris listened to his taunts as he smirked at her. He was last person she thought would want to rile her up. "Shut up Four." She snapped.

"Oh, c'mon Four." Eric droned, surprisingly, he wasn't entertained by watching Tris stand there - which was odd, considering who he was. But he knew he had to at least try and speed up the process.

Four smirked, "You want me to give her a little trim?" He asked, referring to her hair, not looking at anyone but Tris.

Eric wanted to gouge out his own eyes.

Tris stared at the knife in Four's hand, and took a breath before he threw the last one. He nicked her ear. She narrowed her eyes, and so did Eric. She looked the Dauntless leader up and down, wondering why he didn't look pleased. After all, he wouldn't have cared, had it been Al. Then she realized it wasn't because of her. He looked angry, not because of her, but because Four cut her ear.

He tried his best to hide it.

"Points for bravery, but not as many as you just lost for opening your mouth." She didn't look in his eyes, she couldn't afford it. Whenever she looked at him, she forgot he was an asshole and she didn't want that.

"Do you want an apology?" She retorted hotly. Four smirked, trying to hide that he so desperately wanted to laugh.

Eric approached her, not saying anything. Tris wondered if he would hit her like she had expected him to. Everyone held their breath as lifted his hand, and she could see the red on his knuckles as his hand seemed to hang in the air for a moment.

He used his index finger, lifted Tris's chin and tilted her head so he could see her ear; he touched the blood. He seemed to be reigning his anger in. He looked at her, his jaw set. His hands were gentle on her face as he examined her for any more injuries. He noticed that the bruise under her cheek bone - from where Molly had repeatedly punched her in the face - had started to heal nicely.

Tris tried her best to ignore the electric feeling that shot from her chin and to her spine, as she was too shocked to do anything else. She stared at his scabbed knuckles. Before looking away, Tris noticed a look of guilt in his blue eyes. He turned to the rest of the Initiates, noticing the way Four seemed to be glaring at him. "We train soldiers, not rebels. Something you all must learn. We're done for the day. Go, get out."

Tris watched him walk away, trying to forget that he could be gentle. He looked back at her one last time before walking off. Unhonorable men weren't gentle. He sharpened blades for fun; He was the type to cut peoples ears, but it wasn't him that cut her, it was Four. After Eric was gone, she walked up to the man who caused her some ire. "You cut me."

Four chuckled, "Do you think he woulda let you off if I didn't? You'd still be standing there if I didn't hit you." He wrapped up the knives, finally looking at her.

Tris looked him up and down, fighting the urge to bring up the look of regret in Eric's eyes when he looked at her. But she refrained. She chalked up her lapse to confusion. Four was right. "Am I supposed to thank you?" She asked irritably.

"You're supposed to be smart," Four snapped, walking away from her.

She shook her head as she followed him out.

* * *

><p>Tris jogged back to the dormitory, smiling as she descended the steps and seeing that everyone was clapping. "There she is!" Christina smiled, approaching her, "You must have a death wish."<p>

"I can't believe you said that to Eric, I swear I thought he was going to kill you." Will laughed, clasping hand on her shoulder. Tris honestly thought Eric would have killed her too, but he didn't. He actually looked at her like he was sorry.

"Youre the only one who has ever stood up to him." Edward smiled, he was impressed too.

Tris looked up, expecting to see Al, he was nowhere to be seen.

As they walked, Peter smirked, "Congratulations, Stiff. You're famous now." Tris tried to ignore him, but he was standing in her way. "Not because of the Eric thing, but you're in the news. Listen to this. 'The recent transfers of Caleb and Beatrice Prior, children of Andrew Prior, calls into question the soundness of Abnegation teachings and values..'." Peter smirked at her.

"Shut up, Peter." Will pushed him out of the way, clearing the way for Tris and Christina.

He continued, "'What prompted them to leave? Perhaps the answer lies in the corrupted ideals of an entire faction; Theft of resources, and general incompetence, or the abuse of children.' Is that it Stiff, did they beat you like Marcus Eaton beat his kid?"

"They didn't beat anyone. They're good people." Tris wanted to punch him in the face, but she walked away.

She didn't return until later that night.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Divergent or the characters from the movies/books. **

**AN: A big ole thank you to ****everyone who's followed/favorited. Here's chapter 4. I hope you enjoy. ㈇7.**

* * *

><p>Tris walked with a purpose, ignoring the other people in the hallways as she made her way to the training facility. She wanted to get more shooting and sparring in before 8 am rolled around. She had been improving, but none of it mattered unless she was at least number 20. It was frustrating beyond belief, trying your damnedest, only not to make it. It was like being brave enough to jump first, and then being known as the girl that got beat up her first fight. Her feet shuffled as she walked, her head bowed in defeat.<p>

Eric was early… And he stopped what he was doing to stare at her.

"What do you want?" She spat.

"I read the article." He answered casually, unrolling his knives from the holder, placing them out on a table. He could see that her interest had been piqued, "I knew you came here in the morning before training actually started," He looked up at her, a small smirk in his expression as he watched her face change from irritated to incredulous. Why was everyone always confused when they found out that he was observant? "I wanted to see if you were okay. Also, I wanted to warn you." He could tell she didn't believe him; hell, he wouldn't have believe him.

"Warn me about what?" Tris asked, crossing her arms. She watched as he lined up his arm with the target. He swung his arm back over his head, releasing the handle as he brought his arm back in front of him. She was mesmerized, the controlled determination on his face was entrancing. She didn't think he could actually do that - throw knives. He struck her as the living, breathing version of the saying those who dont do, teach.

He picked up another knife, turning to his side, standing perpendicularly from the target. He spun around, releasing the knife when he was facing the target again; Tris got lost, watching the ripple of his muscles, the fact that he was wearing a vest didn't help. She quickly looked to the floor when he gazed at her. "Your fight is against Peter."

"What?" Tris's line of sight connected with him, and she fumed, "Is this about yesterday?"

"No, the fights for today were assigned by rank, your position from the bottom mirrors his place from the top. Beat him and you'll move above the line, lose and I can't help you." He spoke casually, like he didn't want to be there, but maybe that was how he wanted to come off. "Attack first, a single jab to the throat. Watch him, he steps before he punches." He gathered three knives in his hands, throwing them in succession.

She watched him throw, not taking her eyes off his hands as she spoke, "Why are you telling me this?" Tris asked, biting her tongue because curiosity didn't help her hide.

He chuckled, trying to come up with anything to say, running his hand across his chin. But he was lost, so he was forced to tell the truth, "Because I've been impressed with you lately. I could do without the smart mouth and your need to jump into situations without thinking of the consequences...But who am I to talk?" He looked her in the eyes and he still didn't know if she believed him. Jeanine wouldn't be happy with his next report. Part of him was convinced Jeanine was the only reason he talked to Tris, but the other half told him he was lying. He actually intrigued by her. And it made him mad. "And I'm sure everyone would try and convince you that this is all my doing." He retrieved his knives from the target, putting them back in their proper places before rolling them back up in the case.

"Why do you care?"

He crossed his arms and leaned against the edge of the table, Tris tried not to stare at the bulging of his biceps. "I'm not sure yet." He answered truthfully. "How's your ear?" He asked, changing the course of the conversation. He rolled his eyes at himself, and how lame he must have sounded.

"Fine." Her hand subconsciously reached up to touch the injury. She winced as she touched the fresh scab; It was still sore.

"Come here." He gestured with his hand, and without registering what she was doing, she was stepping toward him. "It's not festering or anything." He joked. Like the day before, he was touching her face, examining her fading bruises. They had been interacting differently. He wasn't supposed to be good at what ever he was doing. She didn't trust him, but she couldn't force herself to push him away and condemn him.

She stood in front of him, her feet on either side of his, as he was still leaning back against the table. He turned her face toward him as he ran his thumb over the soft skin under her eye. In that moment, she studied his face; taking in the strongness of his features, she fought a smile. If anyone were to walk in, they would think he were going to kiss her. But he wouldn't dare. He opened his mouth to say something, licking his lips.

Oddly, he scowled when he saw someone behind her, walking directly toward them… Four. He was probably there to help Tris. Eric scoffed, perfect timing. He pushed Tris to the side, he stood straight up, preparing for the impact of Four running into him.

"Hey! What are you doing?" He grabbed Eric by the collar, punching him in the face, bloodying his nose. Eric smirked, Four was helping him out in all reality.

Tris was too startled to do anything but take a few steps back. When she registered what was happening, she was trying to get between them; From what she could tell, Eric was about to retaliate.

"You have two seconds to let go of me before I break your hand." Eric seethed, his eyes seemed to darken, showing his seriousness and callous. Four released him, turning to look at Tris. Eric wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

"Are you okay?" Four asked her, ignoring the predatory like gaze Eric was giving him.

"Yes." Tris spat as she nodded, I_ was better before._ She thought. She was now standing between them, refusing to move, even though Eric had gently tried to pull her to the side. She wanted to scoff at Four, feeling the urge to hit him. She stumbled when Eric took her by the hips, shifting her stance and turning her to him.

She found herself still scowling at Four, and then turning back to check Eric's bloodied nose wiping the blood away, and passing her thumb over her pants, she was taken aback at herself and her reaction to seeing him hurt. "The diagnosis?" Eric whispered, flicking a look back at Four as the man stiffened. He fought a self satisfied smirk.

"Well, I'm no doctor, but I can say with much confidence, that your nose isn't broken." Tris answered him, moving his face around in her hands, still inspecting his nose. A flash of questioning passed through her. Why was she doing this? She stepped out of the way, but didn't move from between the two men, just in case she'd have to step in between them. Not that she could do much. Sure, she was taller in comparison to other girl initiates, but she couldn't break up a fight between two 6'1 + men.

Eric and Four stared at each other, both looking as if they could tear the other man apart. Tris didn't know why, but normally, Four looked like he would kill Eric. But in that moment, Eric looked murderous. They stood planted where they were until the initiates came in, each and every one of them looking groggy.

Eric shook his head, but he didn't move his feet, "Get your warm ups in, fights start in 10 minutes." He hollered. He coldly returned his attention to Four, "If you ever put your hands on me again or her for that matter, I will kill you where you stand." He whispered harshly. He stepped past Tris, careful not to brush against her.

Four exhaled, his shoulders slumping as he saw Tris standing in front of him; Mortified. "Sorry about that - I just thought he was -"

"I can take care of myself, Four." Tris snapped. Four helped her hone her skills, it didn't give him the right to jump in every time she interacted with someone he didn't like. Eric hadn't been doing anything other than making sure she was okay and giving her pointers. Her face fell as she walked away from Four wondering if he had an honest reason to be concerned, she couldn't help but wonder why the Dauntless Leader seemed to have changed over night.

She didn't have time to worry about that, her fight with Peter was coming up. And he was currently eying her like he was a hungry beast, and she was a piece of meat ready to be devoured.

* * *

><p>Tris opened her eyes, squinting against the light. Her head was pounding against her. She then looked around, seeing that she was in the infirmary. It all came back to her.<p>

_Eric looked at Tris, "Next fight, Tris vs Peter." He looked at her expectantly as she walked toward him and the mat. If looks could kill, Four would have had Eric drop dead right then and there. Tris ignored Four and the murmuring initiates watching Tris and Eric interact. "Remember what I told you." Eric's thumbs rubbed circles against her forearm as she nodded at him. She offered him a meek smile. "Ok." Eric nodded, straightening his shoulders. He hesitated when letting her go, but relented and took his spot from the side._

_Peter smirked at her as she took her stance, "You okay there Stiff?" he taunted, "You look like you might cry. Maybe I'd take it easy on you if you cried."_

_Tris sneered, but she didn't attack first._

_"She's going to get destroyed," Four muttered. She had been doing better, no doubt, he'd seen it. But she couldn't take on Peter not after only 4 months of training and one fight._

_"Four, shut up." Eric snapped._

_Peter stormed toward her but she deflected him, jabbing him in his throat and elbowing him in the face as he stumbled. He ran at her again, looking much angrier. He buried his shoulder in her gut, punching her in her sides. Tris however, recovered from the blows, placing her hands on his back before slamming knees into his face. Four had told her that elbows and knees made good weapons when your punches weren't that strong. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Four biting his nails. Eric's expressed no emotion. She was disappointed for a moment, and she didn't know why._

_Peter pushed her, hard. And she felt the pain shoot all the way to her core as she fell to the mat. She stumbled to her feet, faking a punch, and Peter went to block it, leaving his gut free. Tris ran at him, hammering punches into his sides. She heard the encouraging praise coming from her friends. But she distinctly heard him...Eric. He was vocal for the first time, and again, from the corner of her eye, she could see that he had shocked himself._

_Four had been quiet, but still gnawing on his nails._

_She raised her knees to Peter's sides, nailing him twice before he pushed her off. He straddled her and she did her best to block his punches. But she couldn't. Much to her relief, he had gotten off her, only to send kicks into her gut. Her face rolled to the side as she faded in and out of consciousness. She watched as Four walked away._

_"Enough!" Eric voice boomed, as he jumped up onto the mat, pulling Peter away. He startled everyone, and they were all looking at him, wondering if he was okay. He beckoned the nearest initiates, Will and Al, "Get her to the infirmary. I want you back here in 10 minutes." He grabbed Will by the elbow as they made their way to leave, "With a report." _

Tris cleared her throat. Fighting the thoughts in her mind. She tried to fight the nagging feeling that she had made Eric angry. She had disappointed him. He was always ready to watch a fight.

"Woooow!" Christina pulled her from her reverie. "You look bad."

"Thanks Chris." Tris chuckled. "How long have I been here?"

"About a day." Will answered.

Tris moved to get up, "What, I have to get out -"

"You can't." Will looked at her sadly.

Christina looked at her sadly, "Eric says you're out."

He had warned her. And she still lost.

* * *

><p>She refused to give up, she refused to be factionless.<p>

She ran behind the moving train, trying to catch up. She saw Four, and he looked like he was fighting a smile. He extended his arm, helping her up. "Thank you." He walked away without a word.

Al, Will, and Christina welcomed her, asking her what the hell she was doing. But she didn't explain. She couldn't. She didn't know but she couldn't quit.

Eric approached, looking impressed, "Who let you out?"

Tris looked at him, breathless. "I did." She shrugged. She could see the approval in his eyes, and she could feel Four's intense gaze boring a hole in the back of her neck.

He stared at her for a long while. The same look he gave her when she volunteered to jump first. He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her that he was sorry for not stopping the fight sooner, but he couldn't afford that weakness. He couldn't compromise himself anymore. He cared way too much already. And he couldn't afford it with what he was assigned to do. He nodded his head, "Okay." He looked at Al before he looked back at Tris.

Four bumped through the crowd, causing the group of friends to disperse as he unrolled a leather sheet, revealing red guns. "Rules are simple: capture the flag."

Eric held up the thin, red gun, "Weapon of choice-"

"Lame." Molly whispered to Peter, who laughed with her and Drew - another one of his cronies. "Paint balls? Really."

Eric smirked, shooting her in the thigh. Molly hit the wall of the train, sliding down. Tris found some sort of weird satisfaction in watching Molly regret speaking. Eric approached her, and pulled the dart from her thigh. "Stun dart, simulates the pain of a real bullet wound, but it only lasts a couple minutes." Eric showed off the bullet, and Tris couldn't help but watch him.

"You choose first." Four offered

"Okay." Eric smirked, "Edward."

Four looked down, "I'll take the Stiff." Tris hated that name.

"Ahh, choosing the weak ones so you have someone to blame when you lose." Eric smirked.

Then he saw her face.

It seemed as though that had lit a fire under her ass.

They won. Tris helped them win, and she smiled while she watched Christina holding the glowing flag. She felt proud that she beat Eric's team. How dare he call her weak? All that time, she thought he was starting to care, but he didn't. He thought she was weak, some girl not worth her time in Dauntless.

A Dauntless-Born boy approached her, he was darker skinned and his hair was cut short but curly. "You coming out with us to celebrate?" He asked.

Tris watched as Four walked passed her, his face strewn with an expression she couldn't quite separate from anger and fear. She looked back at the boy, "Yeah, sure."

He nodded at her, leading her to the group of people they'd be going with. "I'm Uriah." He introduced himself.

"Tris."

* * *

><p>Zip lining.<p>

Tris held her breath as she walked toward her harness. She laid on it. Before the choosing ceremony, she didn't think she'd ever do something like zip lining. "Don't forget to pull the break." Another boy told her, showing her the handle connected to the string.

They pushed her, sending her flying off the top off the building. She closed her eyes and spread out her arms. She was flying. The cold breeze blew her hair loose from the pony tail. She looked down, overlooking the city that was once Chicago. She felt free. Free from everything.

As she approached the end of the ride, the other dauntless at the bottom reminded her of the break. Her eyes widened, and she reached behind her to grab the break, struggling for a moment before grabbing it. She was small distance from another building. If she pulled any later and she would have smacked her face.

She looked down, yelling, whooping with them. She hadn't had fun like that in a while


End file.
